Wouldn't it be nice if Apple made headphones that didn't break after a few months of standard use? Unfortunately that's not the reality here, but redditor Kulmania fixed the problem with a small bit of shrink wrap:

[The headphones] always break normally, but I've managed to use my earbuds for over two years after putting shrinkwrap on. Basically the stuff looks like this. It shrinks when exposed to high heat. So, cut off a piece about 7/8" long, slip it on the end of the jack, past the metal connectors and use a lighter to shrink the tubing around the jack. don't hold the flame under it though. Act as if the jack were your finger. Apply small amounts of heat until the whole thing is sealed tight.

The result? The plug at the bottom of your headphones won't crack and break easily, giving you much more life out of the earphones. Of course, you have to actually like them to go through the trouble. We've seen at least five better options for more and less money.